Album Notes

Andrew Spice sounds like no one else. Perhaps it was the immersion in classical music studies while growing up in the seclusion of Headingley, Manitoba; absorbing the beats and bravery of artists like Radiohead, Tori Amos, Nine Inch Nails, and Massive Attack. The result is a brilliant new songwriter who, with only a piano and his voice, emotes a timeless quality unmatched in some of the most accomplished singer-songwriters.

After catching the ear of indie legend Emm Gryner with a demo recorded in his basement, Andrew immediately headed to the studio to work on his debut album. Produced entirely by Gryner and released on her Dead Daisy Records label, Pretty Demons came out to immediate critical raves. NOW magazine described Andrew as a "prodigy"; Chart Attack said his songs were "so genuine it breaks your heart", and the Toronto Star called the album a "profound statement... a finger on our collective hearts". These sentiments were echoed by Manitoba Film and Sound, who quickly endorsed the record with a marketing grant to assist in its promotion and distribution. In 2003 Pretty Demons was nominated for an OutMusic Award for Best Debut Album, prompting performances in New York alongside fellow nominees Catie Curtis, Junior Senior, and Rufus Wainwright.

Since moving to Toronto just last year, Andrew has quietly but surely made a name for himself. He has shared the stage with both independent artists such as Gentleman Reg, Jason Collett, Dayna Manning, and Nathan Lawr; and with Canadian stars like Gryner, Sarah Slean, Ron Sexsmith, and Jann Arden. His live show was given a four-star review by Toronto's NOW Magazine, which described his music as "profound". He has been featured twice on the Toronto Experimental Artists compilation, and on the Harris Institute's annual Toronto Music Mission compilation. Conscious to use his music to aid in social causes, Andrew has participated in numerous benefit concerts for the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee, Heart and Stroke Foundation, Alzheimer's Foundation, and the Daily Bread Food Bank. In May 2004, he and singer Jeff Straker staged a benefit for the Toronto People With AIDS Foundation at the University of Toronto's Isabel Bader Theatre that raised over $10 000 for patients.

Andrew Spice's sensitive journey through music is something rare and exceptionally important in a day and age when the true essence of a great song is so often left behind. His songs go where other artists fear to tread, and the vulnerability in his writing is the sort that gives the listener a soft place to fall, a quiet assurance that we are not alone in our sometimes uncertain human experience. Discover for yourself the music of Andrew Spice.